


Home Is Where the Couch Is

by taylor_tut



Series: Whump Bingo [4]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Ed Whump, Exhaustion, Gen, Overworking, Parental Roy Mustang, exhausted ed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 17:44:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14313876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylor_tut/pseuds/taylor_tut
Summary: A prompt from whump bingo from my tumblr for Ed lingering at HQ because he doesn't wan to be alone when Al's gone. Roy understands, but thinks that three days without sleep is a little excessive.





	Home Is Where the Couch Is

Al was going to be visiting Winry for at least another few days, and Ed found himself struggling to go back to the military dorms alone.

The problem, however, was that he’d already been at HQ for three days, and hadn’t really slept more than a 20 minute nap here and there in that time. 

And he was positively  _ drunk _ on exhaustion. 

He stumbled into the Colonel’s office, his head pounding and eyes barely able to focus. 

“Hey, I finished the paperwork ya gave me,” he slurred, “m’ready for another folder.”

Roy raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “You finished it already?” he asked skeptically. “I gave it to you yesterday evening.”

Ed nodded, though it was more just letting his head fall forward and barely managing to pull it back up. “Stayed overnight,” he explained.

Roy’s eyes widened. “Fullmetal,” he sighed, “it wasn’t that pressing. I told you you had until noon tomorrow to finish it. And you know that means I don’t expect it until you’re on your way out the door tomorrow evening.” Ed blinked heavily, swaying through a dizzy spell.

“Just gimme another folder,” he demanded, “stop with all the--” he waved his hand in a vague but annoyed gesture, “words.”

Roy frowned. “I think you should go back to the dorms,” he admitted. “You’re exhausted. Isn’t this the second all-nighter you’ve pulled this week?”

Ed shook his head. “Third,” he corrected, and Roy’s jaw dropped.

“You’ve pulled three overnights this week?” he echoed, and Ed nodded impatiently. “Today’s only Wednesday, Fullmetal. Have you been awake since Monday morning?”

He shrugged. “More’r’less,” he replied nonchalantly. “So where are we on that folder situation?”

“I’m not giving you another assignment,” Roy said finitely. “You’re bound to make mistakes when you’re this exhausted.”

Ed shook himself a bit. “Not tired,” he insisted, but Roy scoffed.

“I can see very clearly that you are,” he said. “You look like death.”

Ed pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s just the headache,” he denied.

“A headache from being awake for three days,” Roy said. “Why haven’t you gone back to the dorms?”

Ed shifted from foot to foot. “Al’s out of town,” he mumbled, as if that explained anything.

“And?” Roy prompted. 

Ed shifted his weight from his automail foot to his flesh one and back.

“And I… the dorms are quiet,” he finished.

“Yes, which would be good for sleeping, which is something you need to do.”

Ed clenched his fists and slammed his eyes shut, not wanting to admit any weakness to the bastard Colonel, but quickly running out of other options. 

“I don’t want to go back to the dorms and be alone, okay?” he snapped, glaring at the ground. 

Roy blinked. “You’re here because you… don’t want to be alone?”

Ed nodded.

“Why?”

Ed shrugged. “I just… When Al’s gone, I worry. If I’m here, there’s distractions. I don’t have to think about it as much.”

Roy softened a bit. “Fullmetal, it’s okay to have anxieties about your brother being away,” he said gently. “But that doesn’t mean you can run yourself into the ground like this.” He gestured to the couch with his pen, rolling his eyes when Ed didn’t move. “Well, don’t just stand there stupidly. Take the couch before I change my mind.”

Ed warily sat down, nervously watching the Roy work without a word. Within moments of sitting, his body started to feel heavier, and he found himself leaning more and more against the arm of the couch until he was completely recumbent and barely awake.

“Thanks,” he muttered, finally letting his eyes shut to the sound of rustling papers and longsuffering sighs. 


End file.
